The high-level session will focus on the maintenance of international peace and security and historical lessons and will be held at the initiative of China

Sergey Lavrov

UNITED NATIONS, February 23. /TASS/. The UN Security Council is due on Monday to hold open debates dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory over fascism and the founding of the organisation aimed at saving mankind from war.

The Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The debates will be chaired by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will deliver a speech first.

The high-level session will focus on the maintenance of international peace and security and historical lessons and will be held at the initiative of China, which has assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for February.

The meeting will be attended by both 15 member-states of the Security Council and other UN countries. More than 60 people will make speeches. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin, who is due to arrive in New York on Monday, could also address the Council’s session.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov is expected to stress "the significance of goals and principles of the UN and its Charter in conditions of the establishment of a modern polycentric international system."

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, said on Thursday: "We believe that there are no alternatives to resolving conflicts and crisis situations by peaceful means - based on a broad national dialogue and all-encompassing political decisions of the Security Council members."

A diplomatic source told TASS the UN Security Council member-states are not expected to adopt any documents following the debates.

Traditionally, a number on bilateral meetings will be held on the sidelines of the ministerial debates. In particular, the talks between the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers are planned.